202410/16
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) commissioned the Rural Development Foundation to conduct an under-forest economy workshop on October 14-15, 2024, in Liouguei and Maolin, Kaohsiung. The workshop included courses on Taiwan wild tea (Camellia formosensis) processing, tea ceremony culture, sixth-sector beekeeping practices, Taiwan jewel orchid (Anoectochilus formosanus) cultivation, and more. The instructors came from diverse fields, spanning industry, government, and academia. Through professional insights into production, manufacturing, and marketing, participants were gradually introduced to the under-forest economy industry.
The FANCA announced its under-forest economy policy in 2019, providing more diversified management options for forestry land. Currently, six categories of cultivation are available: under-forest beekeeping, log-cultivated shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms, Taiwan jewel orchid, Taiwan wild tea, Taiwan fig tree (Ficus formosana), and Assam indigo (Strobilanthes cusia). In recent years, the FANCA Pingtung Branch has actively promoted the under-forest economy in the Kaohsiung and Pingtung regions. To date, ten forest owners leasing public land and at least seven private landowners have applied to participate, with a total of 760 beehives placed, yielding an annual production value of approximately NT$5 million. In addition, 4,669 Taiwan wild tea plants are being cultivated over nearly 11.5 hectares, promising significant future revenue. The Pingtung Branch has also established an under-forest economy demonstration area at the Liouguei Workstation, allowing forest owners to observe the management of a log-cultivated shiitake mushroom farm, Taiwan wild tea cultivation, and beehive maintenance firsthand. The demonstration area for Taiwan wild tea includes plantings of 720 and 200 tea plants at the Tengjhih National Forest Recreation Area and Quji Mountain in Namasia District, respectively, providing forest owners and visitors with direct insight into cultivation methods and growth conditions. Additionally, the Pingtung Branch has commissioned the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology to promote the “Domestic Timber and Forest Byproduct Essential Oil Promotion Project,” assisting nine local forest owners in establishing a limited liability Kaohsiung-Pingtung Forestry and Agricultural Production Cooperative. They are currently recruiting cooperative members, aiming to develop an essential oil industry by combining essential oils—high-value forest byproducts—with local characteristics, thus creating a new value model for local forestry. The branch is also assisting the Gaoshi community in Mudan Township, Pingtung County to serve as a demonstration site for a diversified forest industry operated by an indigenous tribe. This includes promoting multi-layered agroforestry and family farms, along with documenting significant ethnobotanical plants, developing unique local products, and fostering the tribe’s resilience.
Approximately 80 participants attended the two-day workshop, with lively interactions and enthusiastic feedback between the participants and instructors. Many expressed a desire for more advanced courses in the future. In response to the local tribes’ expectations, the Pingtung Branch is planning more in-depth and comprehensive workshops tailored to products suited for local development, enabling tribes to achieve sixth-sector industrialization of the local under-forest economy. At the same time, the branch hopes that forest owners can develop diverse industries within the forest environment through this initiative, ultimately contributing to the vision of sustainable forestry. Those interested in the under-forest economy can contact the Pingtung Branch or the Liouguei, Cishan, Chaozhou, and Hengchun workstations for more information.